- Kapsch Will Implement Brazil's First Free-Flow Toll System
- New Report Outlines Washington State Commission's RUC Recommendations
- US Lawmakers Propose Legislation To Undermine MTA Congestion Pricing
- Pennsylvania Turnpike Construction Project Includes Testing Of Innovative Technologies
- West Virginia Turnpike Travel Plazas Will Maintain Services Throughout Reconstruction
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Kapsch Will Implement Brazil's First Free-Flow Toll System
Kapsch TrafficCom announced yesterday that it will provide Brazil’s fist barrier-free, open-road tolling system on a scenic coastal highway that connects two of the country’s most populous states. Initial operation of the Kapsch system will begin in March on 200 kilometers (about 124 miles) of the Rio-Santos (BR 101) highway that is operated as a Grupo CCR concession. The facility is used by approximately 10,000 commercial vehicles daily and is also a popular tourism route. Samuel Kapsch, executive vice president for Latin America, commented, “We are very excited to bring this technology to Brazil to improve mobility in the country. With more than 60,000 kilometers of highway, the Brazilian road network is one of the longest in the world, so this is a particularly strong lever for improving the traffic situation and reducing emissions.”
Brazil ETC Systems Grupo CCR Kapsch Open-Road Tolling Procurement of Tolling Equipment & ServicesNew Report Outlines Washington State Commission's RUC Recommendations
The Center Square (Washington) — in an article provocatively titled “Transportation Commission Wants All Washington Roads to Be Toll Roads” — catches up with the news that the state transportation commission voted last month to send recommendations to the state legislature and the governor for gradual adoption of a road use charge system as a substitute for fuel taxation. The recommendations are set out in the body’s 2022 “Washington Road Usage Charge Assessment” report, which was issued last week. The article looks at specific suggestions regarding a system, as well as the RUC research and pilot projects the commission has undertaken since 2012. Earlier this week, The Center Square published an article spotlighting the report’s projection that state fuel tax revenues will “fall by $600 million, or roughly $21.4 million per year, over the next 28 years.”
Company and Agency Financial Issues And Reports Road Use Charging (RUC-MBUF-VMT) Washington State Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)US Lawmakers Propose Legislation To Undermine MTA Congestion Pricing
Spectrum News 1 reports, New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ 5) is making good on his threat to try restricting the flow of federal dollars to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) if it implements the Central Business District Tolling Plan. Together with Michael Lawler, a freshman Republican representative from New York, he has proposed a bill that would block the award of new transit capital investment grants to MTA projects until the agency exempts “all New Jersey and New York crossings into Manhattan” from liability for congestion tolls. The bill would also create a federal tax credit for commuters equal to any such tolls they are required to pay. The legislation is given little chance of passage, but its unveiling reignited a debate over the MTA program, which Gottheimer and others claim is in jeopardy. In response to the bill’s introduction, both New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) and MTA spokesman John McCarthy stated the congestion pricing plan is alive and moving toward implementation.
Congestion Pricing Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New Jersey New York New York City US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Gov't Transportation FundingPennsylvania Turnpike Construction Project Includes Testing Of Innovative Technologies
ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com adds reporting to news of this week’s contract award by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) to Pittsburgh-based Trumbull Corp. for construction of the next phase of the Mon-Fayette Expressway (Turnpike 43) extension project. The article notes that the overall project conceived in the 1960s had “many starts and stops along the way to construction” and was trimmed to reduce its original $4 billion cost estimate. It will now “serve as a test bed for innovative transportation construction techniques,” including pilot studies on noise wall design; generating power for road signs from the natural vibrations caused by the flow of traffic; using a digital model of the roadway to simulate and monitor wear and tear; and methods of installing pavement-embedded electromagnetic inductive charging technology.
Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Intelligent Transportation Systems Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) Pittsburgh PA Metro Area Transportation and Infrastructure Research & DevelopmentWest Virginia Turnpike Travel Plazas Will Maintain Services Throughout Reconstruction
The West Virginia Turnpike’s Beckley and Bluestone travel plaza buildings will begin to undergo demolition and reconstruction on February 1, WDTV reports, based on a WVDOT news release. However, the fueling stations at both plazas, which include restroom facilities and snack and beverage sales, will remain operational. The only time parking is expected to be affected by the site work is during paving. Additionally, the Tamarack Marketplace, which is adjacent to the Beckley plaza, will extend its hours beginning April 1 after restroom renovations are completed. The overhaul of both plazas is scheduled to finish by late 2024, after which renovations at the Morton Travel Plaza will start in 2025. The projects are part of a $152 million upgrade of the turnpike’s facilities.
Highway and Bridge Maintenance Service Plazas West Virginia West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) West Virginia Parkways Authority (West Virginia Turnpike)These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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